Tag Archives: Pacific Northwest

I really love fall! It’s my favorite time of year. The crispness of the morning air is invigorating but especially great are the beautiful vibrant colors of autumn. No plant is more beautiful in its fall foliage than the sugar maple, not a naturally occurring tree in western Canada or the western American states, but common in the east.

These images were, however, snapped at the University of Washington in Seattle. A lovely campus, with grand stands of deciduous trees, it’s a great place to go for a fall stroll.

One of the finest Japanese Gardens in North America — perhaps the best anywhere outside Japan — is found in Portland, Oregon, in the hills near downtown. Covering five and a half acres of Washington Park, it’s a setting of calm and tranquility, as all Japanese gardens are.

I’m always been inspired by the asymmetric balance and harmony of these gardens. The methodical selection, placement and pruning of trees and bushes, the blending of colors, the judicious use of water and stone make me want to do better in my own yard (though somehow I always fail with this). It’s a great place to go for a slow relaxing walk. The garden is open throughout the year and its character changes with the …

Johnstone Strait is a segment of the Inside Passage, through which cruise ships transit on their journey from Vancouver to Alaska (and back again). It’s a nice place to go on a cruise mostly because its scenery is beautiful and grand, but also because you’re guaranteed a smooth ride as the waters are sheltered by Vancouver Island (and other small islands along the coast). Situated by the northeastern part of Vancouver Island, the Strait is about 100 km long and between 2.5 to 5 km in width.

Johnstone Strait is home to several pods of Orcas, numbering around 150 individual whales, which feast on the rich fish life in these waters, especially salmon. Because of the high concentration of whales it’s become …

KarlonFeb 24, 2013with Comments Off on Portland, Oregon — The Cozy City of Roses

I can enjoy a visit to a large city as much as anyone — seeing the Eiffel Tower, Sistine Chapel, Buckingham Palace or Statue of Liberty are as exciting and fun for me as for any traveler. But overall I’m more relaxed and comfortable, and derive greater pleasure from visiting smaller cities and towns than I do a huge metropolis. Such places are easier to get around in and lend themselves well to exploration on foot. They often have quality attractions not as well known or as busy as those in larger cities.

Downtown Portland and Willamette River

Such — sort of anyway — is the case of Portland, on the lush green banks of the Willamette River where it joins the mighty Columbia River …

KarlonDec 8, 2012with Comments Off on Seattle, Washington — Coffee Capital of the World (and a city of many other nicknames)!

Seattle is a great city — a world-class travel destination! Situated in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, it has much appeal as a several day (or even week-long) stop especially when part of a circuit through other great sites in the region, such as Vancouver and Victoria B.C, or the Olympic and Long Beach peninsulas, or Mount Rainier and Mt. St. Helen’s. By far the largest city in America’s Northwest, with over four million residents, it’s a bustling growing metropolis with a memorable skyline set on the shores of lovely Puget Sound. Lush and green, fenced in by the Cascade Mountains to the east, with westward views of the Sound and …

KarlonMar 17, 2012with Comments Off on Tacoma — Water, Glass, more Glass, with a little history thrown in…

Tacoma is a city I’ve driven through numerous times but never thought much about. I was aware it was a port city situated on Puget Sound, and that it had a huge dome (Tacoma Dome) just off the I-5 freeway. I knew Tacoma is Washington state’s third largest city (Seattle and Spokane are more populous) and a gateway to Mt. Rainer National Park. But this time we weren’t going to Mt. Rainer, rather to Tacoma’s Museum of Glass, which Sylvia and I’d heard good things about. We had few preconceived expectations for our visit and as it turned out we were to be pleasantly surprised.

What’s more fun than going whitewater rafting 15 minutes from your front door on a beautiful summer day? Not much — at least for me. I’m lucky enough to live in Spokane, the heart of beautiful Inland Northwest, one of the great places in these United States. Spokane is centered on it’s river and while long stretches of the river are urbanized, there are still miles of wilderness especially in the downriver portion beyond Riverfront Park. The Spokane River drains lovely Lake Couer d’Alene in the Idaho Panhandle into the Columbia River (the flooded Lake Roosevelt part upriver from the …

KarlonJun 18, 2011with Comments Off on Walla, Walla: “So nice they named it twice!”

What’s a Walla Walla? It’s a Indian name meaning “many waters”. It’s also the name of a charming town in southeastern Washington; nestled close to the Columbia and Snake River valleys, and with a river of its own, the name is appropriate. This town of just over 30,000 offers visitors an interesting destination for a few day visit as it was witness to key events in the history of the American Northwest and is an important agricultural region, with wine production rising geometrically over the past decades.

A brief history of Walla Walla

Walla Walla and Cayuse Indians lived in the Walla Walla Valley when the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived on their return journey from the …